Eye on 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Amit Shah plans India tour

New Delhi: With an eye on the crucial electoral battle of 2019, BJP president Amit Shah is likely to embark on a nation-wide tour for a “reality check” of organisational strength and resolve issues that have been troubling the saffron party. Mr Shah’s tour, sources said, will take place after the results of forthcoming Assembly elections are declared.

It could be recalled that Mr Shah had deputed party’s national general secretaries last year to get feedback on party’s “actual strength” in each and every state, even from the BJP-ruled states. Complaints had been pouring in from even BJP-ruled states of senior leaders not being accessible, bureaucrats calling the shots, factionalism, nepotism and leaders of certain camp within the party getting promoted. Party’s general secretaries, sources said, also gave these feedback to Mr Shah.

Four national general secretaries, including general secretary (organisation) Ramlal, have been asked to coordinate with the state units and prepare Mr Shah’s tour plan. The BJP president is expected to spend an entire day, if required more, with the state leadership. In BJP-ruled states, Mr Shah, sources said, could hold one-to-one meeting with leaders as lot of complaints have been coming on growing factionalism and only certain leaders getting promoted.

Expanding the party base along with strengthening the organisation are one of the focus areas of Mr Shah. However, fixing problems and taking corrective measures ahead of the 2019 general elections and prepare ground for Assembly elections in individual state, is also the aim of this exercise.

For instance, in Uttar Pradesh where Assembly elections are just round the corner, factionalism was one of the main problem areas for the BJP leadership. The BJP top brass, therefore, this time has given task to each and every senior leader, who in turn have been instructed to assign election related work to maximum number of party workers.